Be healthier, wealthier by quitting cigarettes

BURNIE'S Grant Anderson was smoking a cigarette when he decided he didn't enjoy smoking anymore.

"I thought, `Why am I smoking?' and decided to give it up," he said.

Mr Anderson, 37, said that his two young children Zoe, 4, and John, 2, also played a role in his decision to give up.

Mr Anderson uses a phone application, My Quit Buddy, to help keep track of how long it has been since his last cigarette, the money he has saved and the amount of tar that hasn't entered his body since he gave up.

Mr Anderson has saved $1380 and avoided 13,976milligrams of tar over 133 days since he is not smoking his usual 10 cigarettes a day.

Mr Anderson said giving up smoking had improved aspects of his life markedly.

"I felt a bit worse when I first started giving up, but now I've got more energy and I'm breathing better," he said.

"Not spending money on cigarettes has made paying bills off much easier."

Until 133 days ago, Mr Anderson was one of the 21.7per cent of Tasmanians who smoked cigarettes each day.

Anti-smoking agencies hope World No Tobacco Day on May 31 and a new advertising campaign launched by Quit Tasmania will encourage Tasmanians to quit, and lower the rate of daily smokers towards the Australian daily smoker average of 16.3 per cent.

Cancer Council Tasmania chief executive Penny Egan said the high percentage of Tasmanian smokers was "simply unacceptable as a health risk".

"Tasmania has the highest rate of daily smokers in Australia, except for the Northern Territory," she said.

"Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in Australia."

nTo learn more about World No Tobacco Day or to find information on how to quit smoking visit www.

quittas.org.au.

BAD HABIT: Grant Anderson hasn’t smoked a cigarette for just over four months. Picture: Adam Langenberg.